


For Anyone But Me, Your Private Eye

by Summertrap



Category: Mortal Kombat (Video Games), Mortal Kombat - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Attempted Murder, Crimes & Criminals, Criminal!Kuai Liang, Detective Noir, Detective!Hanzo Hasashi, Eventual Smut, Femme Fatale, Film Noir, Flirting, Gangsters, Government Conspiracy, Government Corruption, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kuai "turned on by danger" Liang, Kuai's not bad he's just drawn that way, M/M, Murder, Murder Mystery, Organized Crime, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Power Bottom, Sexual Tension, This fic WILL have a happy ending, Torture, ambiguous time period, but you have to go through a little pain to get to that sweet sweet happy ending, implied/referenced child murder, there is no explicit homophobia but it is mentioned so I'd rather warn than just leave it, there's gonna be a lot of pain
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 04:53:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29379516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Summertrap/pseuds/Summertrap
Summary: Private Detective Hanzo Hasashi has been haunted by the unsolved murder of his wife and son for over 7 years. Reopening the case leads him to one man as his prime suspect; a criminal named Song Bi-Han.But it seems Bi-Han has no intentions on getting caught.In order to find him, Hanzo is forced to team up with Bi-Han's brother, the flirtatious and seductive Kuai Liang. As the pair investigate, they begin to realise there's far more to the case than just murder, and soon find themselves caught up in the plot of a corrupt government.
Relationships: Hanzo Hasashi | Scorpion/Kuai Liang | Sub-Zero, Hanzo Hasashi | Scorpion/Sub-Zero
Comments: 3
Kudos: 27





	1. PROLOGUE - Hey, Brother, What You Thinking?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a while ago I wrote a short fic called "Private Eye". This is basically a full expanded fic from that short! Massive shoutout to [Maagspies](https://maagspies.tumblr.com) who inspired me to write it ;__;
> 
> Anyway, my plan is 18 chapters + prologue & epilogue. I have the whole thing pretty much mapped out with I guess a bit of leeway should things happen while I'm writing. :0  
> Like I said in the tags, there will be some pain, but I assure you I have a happy ending planned for this.
> 
> So enjoy the adventures of Private Detective Hanzo Hasashi and his Femme Fatal Kuai Liang. <3

He stepped back from the cork board, surveying his work.

It had been 7 years since the murders of Harumi and Satoshi. A long torturous 7 years and so far nothing seemed to ease that pain. The police had been useless, having declared it a cold case without so much as attempting to find who was behind it. Years of battling tooth and nail for them to fucking do something, _anything_ , to find the killer.

_7 years too long._

It was time for him to take things into his own hands. He was a detective after all, he'd solved murders before, the only difference was how extremely personal the resolution would be this time. He'd suspended all other investigations, his focus solely on this case. He had already been through his archives, searched for every scrap he could find that could lead him to an answer. He'd even contacted a local newspaper, hoping that news of his reopening of the case would reach the masses and someone would come forward with information.

He was broken from his thoughts as the phone started ringing. It was either someone trying to hire him or someone who had seen the article. He didn't want to risk missing the call if it was the latter, so walked over to his desk, and picked up the receiver.

“Detective Hanzo Hasashi speaking,” he greeted, gut twisting slightly in anticipation.

“Hanzo...” He let out a breath when he realised he recognised the voice.

“Hello, Kenshi,” He sighed, rubbing his temple with his hand and willing himself to relax again. It wasn't the breakthrough he had hoped for, but at least it wasn't some desperate soul he would have to turn down. “Do you need something?”

“Johnny tells me there's an article in the newspaper about you,” Kenshi replied with a sigh. Hanzo clicked his tongue, _here we go._ “I know you want answers, and trust me you deserve them, but do you really think investigating this yourself is a good idea?”

“I am tired of waiting for someone else to start taking this seriously,” Hanzo said with a growl, running his hand down his face as he turned to look at his board again. “In one week I've gathered more information than the police got in _7 years_.”

“Look, if you really want to do this, you know I won't stop you. But...” Kenshi paused, Hanzo heard the man huff in a way that indicated he was trying to think of the right thing to say. “I do worry that obsessing over this isn't going to do you any good.”

“I've been obsessing over it since it happened,” He replied, reaching to the photograph of Harumi and Satoshi he had pinned to the board. He traced Harumi's face with a finger, a lump forming in the back of his throat as memories of the day she died flooded back. There was so much blood. She had already been cold to the touch by the time he found her, Satoshi tucked in her arms. There was nothing he could have done for either of them. “I feel like I've lost my grip on my life. So I'm taking back control, and once I find the answer, I'll finally have peace.”

There was no reply, and for a minute Hanzo believed they'd been cut off, until he heard Kenshi grumble something unintelligible before he stated, “Okay. Okay, but just know I don't want you to get yourself hurt or in danger over this alright?”

“I'm in no more danger than I am investigating any other murder case,” Hanzo assured him, although the strangled alarmed noise Kenshi made told him this statement was in no way reassuring.

“Fine,” Kenshi conceded, before asking “Have you got any suspects yet?”

“Actually, I do.”

It hadn't escaped his notice that around the time of the murder, he'd been hired to investigate a crime ring known as the Lin Kuei. They were your standard affair when it came to gangsters, the sale of drugs and illegal weapons was their main source of income, and turf wars being a common occurrence. It was clear to him that his investigation into the Lin Kuei hadn't gone undetected, and they were definitely the type of organisation to use murder to send a message.

Hanzo had scoured his archives, looked through his research on the Lin Kuei to narrow who within the gang had the means to commit such an act. Then he'd worked out where those men had been the night of the murder. It had taken a lot of piecing together scraps of information but he'd managed to put together an alibi for all of them bar one. This one single person who's name he found had kept cropping up in his previous research.

Everything he'd put together so far all pointed to one man; Song Bi-Han.

“And it's about time I tracked him down.”

* * *

Kuai Liang paused in the doorway, watching as his brother hastily threw his belonging's into a suitcase. Bi-Han seemed unaware that Kuai was watching him. There was something strange about this situation, but Kuai couldn't put his finger on it.

“Going somewhere?” Kuai finally asked, getting Bi-Han's attention. He slowly sauntered into the room, observing the objects Bi-Han was packing. It was mostly clothing, but there were a few other personal belongings that Kuai recognised. Thing's Bi-Han likely wouldn't be taking unless he was going to be absent for some time.

“I'm... Going away for a while,” Bi-Han stated. Kuai observed him for a few seconds, Bi-Han was refusing to meet his gaze. _Something's really wrong here..._

“Where are you going?” Kuai asked. Bi-Han ignored the question. “Is this a Lin Kuei thing?” He tried instead. Bi-Han opened his mouth as if to reply before stopping himself and then just shrugging instead. “Well, how long are you going to be gone?”

“I... I don't know,” Bi-Han admitted, closing the suitcase and finally looking at Kuai. “Look, I can't tell you where I'm going, how long I'll be gone or even why.” Kuai had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“Bi-Han, what's going on?” He knew his brother, usually Bi-Han didn't keep secrets from him. If it was Lin Kuei business, Kuai would have been informed about it. This was something else. His brother looked panicked, his vague answers as to him leaving only adding to the sense of urgency. “Bi-han?”

“I'm sorry, but the less you know, the safer you are.” _Safe? Safe from what?_ Bi-Han wasn't making sense, and Kuai was trying so hard to not let it show how distressed it made him. Bi-Han reached into his pocket and pulled out a photograph. “I will warn you though, in the next few months, you may be approached by this man.”

Bi-Han handed him the photograph. The man in question looked fairly inconspicuous if Kuai was honest. _Good looking though_ , if Kuai met him in a bar he'd definitely invite him back to his room for the night.

“You're telling me a handsome man might approach me, and that's somehow a bad thing?” Kuai replied, trying to act upbeat about the situation, even as he felt a part of him breaking inside.

“He's a private detective,” Bi-Han explained, “Name's Hanzo Hasashi, and he might come sniffing around to ask you questions. Like I said, the less you know, the safer you'll be.”

“A detective? Why the hell is there a detective after you?” Once again, Kuai's question went unanswered. Yes they were criminals, but they usually dealt with the threat of cops after the entire organisation, not private detectives after a specific individual. Frustrated, he reached to touch Bi-Han's shoulder. “Bi-Han, what the fuck have you got yourself into?”

“I can't tell you,” Bi-Han growled, grabbing Kuai's wrist and pulling his hand off him. Kuai froze. Slowly a hint of regret shone through in Bi-Han's eyes. Bi-Han hesitated, letting go of him, before sighing. “Please, understand that this is not what I want, but I need to get away and the easier it is for you to plead innocence the less likely you are to be dragged into this shit.”

Kuai felt his mouth go try, his throat constricting as he asked “Is it really that bad?”

“Yes.” Such a simple blunt answer that really did not help with Kuai's growing fears.

He shook his head, trying to think of things that had happened lately that could make Bi-Han want to bolt like this. “Is... This related to that argument you had with Sektor? Or... Or that thing you did for the White lotus? Or that Sareena woman... or-”

“Kuai,” Bi-Han warned, and Kuai stopped.

“Sorry,” He whispered his eyes dropping to the floor. “I just... Don't understand.”

“I know.” Bi-Han reached forward, gently tilting his brother's chin upwards. “And I'm sorry that it has to be this way. I'll be back for you, I promise, I just need to get away for a while until things have calmed down.”

“Okay,” Kuai agreed softly, any other questions he had dying on his tongue. It was clear now that Bi-Han would not answer them anyway. “When do you leave?”

“I'm going tonight, under cover of dark, hopefully slip away before someone notices,” Bi-Han explained, his hands reaching to grab Kuai's shoulders instead. “Just, promise me you'll stay safe, alright?”

“Only if you promise the same,” Kuai said back, knowing it wasn't exactly a promise either of them could keep. Bi-Han's resigned sigh indicated he realised that too.

They said no more, even if there were so many words Kuai wanted to say. Even if he wanted to beg Bi-Han to stay and find another way to deal with whatever was happening, or to plead with him to at least take Kuai with him, not leave him alone in the Lin Kuei. He kept those desperate thoughts to himself, instead allowing his brother to continue packing.

That evening, he shared one last drink with Bi-Han, trying to keep the illusion that nothing was wrong, so not to draw suspicion to themselves. The word goodbye never left either of their lips, just a brief hug and wishing the other sweet dreams before parting ways.

By the time the next morning came, Bi-Han was gone.

And Kuai Liang was stuck with the fallout his brother left behind.


	2. And I Won't Have To Quit Doing Fucked Up Shit For Anyone But Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you read the original short you will likely recognise the last part of this first chapter. It has been edited however, some bits changed and added to better fit the rest of the narrative I've now written.
> 
> Quick warning; there is a very brief implication of past child abuse, but it's only about 3 lines. There is some brief implications of homophobia too, but no actual homophobia takes place.

Song Bi-Han, as it turned out, was an extremely hard man to track down.

From Hanzo's observations, Bi-Han had just up and left the second he thought suspicion was being sent his way. Somehow he'd been able to cover his tracks meticulously, to a point Hanzo had no idea where to even start his attempt to find him. The man had disappeared without a trace. Even after a month, Hanzo was no closer to discovering where he had gone.

So he'd begun to keep a track of the Lin Kuei, trying to figure out what was going on within the gang and hoping to find _something_. A link he was missing. It was when he went scouring his past research that he found something he had previously overlooked. An extremely interesting name amongst the one's he'd collected.

Song Kuai Liang.

With the two men sharing a family name, it was obvious they were in some way or another related. A little more digging revealed just how. Brothers, apparently, Bi-Han the elder and Kuai Liang the younger. Without seeing the two interact with each other, it was hard to tell if they were on good terms or particularly close. But if they were, then it was very likely that Kuai would know the location of his elder brother. It was the best chance he had.

So he'd increased his surveillance operation on the Lin Kuei. At first, he figured it would be a matter of elimination, cross checking and identifying each member he saw until he was down to just one. It turned out to be far more simple than that. Kuai Liang shared one extremely important trait with his elder brother that stood out above everything else.

Blue eyes were not a common trait for someone of Chinese heritage to have after all.

Upon closer inspection, Kuai Liang shared a very similar facial structure to his brother, the only majorly noticeable difference was that Kuai Liang's nose was slightly smaller. He wore his hair a lot different as well, much shorter and slicked back near perfectly aside from a few loose strands that hung across his forehead. There was also a very striking and large scar than ran down the one side of his face and over his eye. For some reason, his wardrobe mostly consisted of the colour blue, and was always the most immaculate suits, with ties, vests and suspenders to finish off the look. Hanzo couldn't help but think it all came across as a little vain.

Hanzo had been following the man for a week now to gather information. Most of it was circumstantial, things like his little habits, how he'd stand with his hands on his hips or his preferences in drinks, Hanzo often spotting him with a cup of tea in hand. Nothing that gave any clues as to where his brother was, but information on the kind of man Kuai Liang was. It let him get ideas on the best way to approach him when the time came.

Most importantly to that particular task, he'd discovered the man generally responded to conflict with a flight response. That is until he was backed into a corner, which was the point he would defend himself, usually with a switchblade. The only exception was when people had guns pointed in his direction. While Hanzo was never close enough to hear the conversations, each time Kuai was held at gunpoint he easily managed to talk his way out of it. This information was helping him slowly form a plan for his upcoming confrontation with Kuai.

_Run him into a dead end, make sure to bring a gun, do not fall for his silver tongue._

He usually had a gun on him at all times, so that bit was not an issue. He imagined it would also not be hard to resist whatever words Kuai tried to use to talk his way to safety. Getting Kuai into a dead end, on the other hand, required planning. He would have to find a way to lure him into a trap.

Currently he was sat in his car, once more just watching. Kuai lent against a wall across the street, briefcase in hand and clearly waiting for someone. A couple of ladies walked past him, both of them making eyes at the sharp dressed man. Kuai smiled at them, but otherwise dismissed them. This had happened a few times since Hanzo had been watching. Women would make it plainly obvious they were interested in him, and he would barely acknowledge it. Hanzo couldn't understand it. Men in Kuai's _“profession”_ tended to be the womanising sort, keen to get all the women they could. Kuai wasn't interested in the slightest.

And then the answer came, almost as if god or some other higher being had heard his confusion and wished to clear it up. Another man walked by and Kuai looked him up and down. When the man glared at him, clearly not understanding why Kuai's gaze was on him, the Lin Kuei just smiled and offered a wink. The man's face went bright red, and he turned and left. Kuai chuckled to himself but didn't seem too hurt by the rejection. Hanzo on the other hand? He could only watch in awe.

_That... That explains that then._

Hanzo had several friends who identified as homosexual and bisexual. Hell, Hanzo had found himself tempted by other men on many an occasion. He had never felt safe being open about it, neither did most the people he knew. Only Johnny was ever truly upfront about his encounters with other men. Still, he couldn't imagine even the actor being so casual about flirting with random people in the street. He was actually somewhat jealous of the sheer confidence it took to be so transparent about it.

“He's got _guts_ , I'll give him that,” Hanzo muttered, observing as another man approached Kuai, who pushed himself off the wall to greet them. The two shook hands, had a brief conversation and then exchanged suit cases. Clearly a deal had just happened, and Hanzo again couldn't help but be impressed by the nerve to do something like this is board daylight. "I guess it's either bravery or _extreme stupidity_."

When the pair separated, Kuai was walking down the street the way he'd initially come. Hanzo didn't hesitate to start up his car and slowly follow behind. Kuai was going at a very leisurely pace, making it very hard for Hanzo to go at a speed that didn't make it obvious he was trailing him. He was just lucky this wasn't exactly a busy road, and there was no one behind him to get pissed at how slow he was going.

He noticed a change in the way Kuai was walking, slowing down even further. _Fuck_ , Hanzo adjusted his speed to match. Minutes later, Kuai began to speed up, and Hanzo breathed easy as he followed suit. Kuai came to a sudden stop, Hanzo hitting the breaks. He wondered what the fuck the man was doing, until Kuai glanced over his shoulder. He was looking at the car. _Shit, damn it!_ He should have pursued by foot, it was always easier to blend in that way.

He could see Kuai's grip on the briefcase tighten. In the blink of an eye, Kuai was sprinting off down the street. Hanzo slammed his foot on the accelerator.

“Fuck! Fuck! _Fuck!_ ” He started tearing down the street, trying to catch up to the Lin Kuei. One benefit of being in the car was that he managed to do that with relative ease. The downside became exponentially clear however when Kuai made a beeline for an ally, disappearing down it. “Shit!” Hitting the breaks, he parked his car up on the sidewalk, unbuckling his seat belt and throwing the door open.

By the time he had scrambled out and made it to the alley's entrance, Kuai Liang was long gone.

_Fuck._

He pulled his hair in frustration. On one hand, it was likely Kuai would just head back to the mansion the Lin Kuei operated from. He would have learnt no more had he been successful. On the other hand? Kuai now knew he was being followed, and that would likely make the man far more alert to his surroundings.

Hanzo slunk back to his car in defeat. He could only hope he hadn't fucked up his entire investigation.

_I need to act fast before he bolts like his brother did._

* * *

Kuai stared down at his drink, stirring the ice around rather than actually drinking the stupid thing. His mind felt like it was in 100 different places at once. That car following him earlier in the day had spooked him. It wasn't the police, they would have arrested him the second they saw him swap briefcases, not just slowly followed him down the road. He was starting to feel paranoid that his boss had something to do with it. He couldn't think of a reason why, but Sektor's decisions were often baffling anyway. Rarely did Sektor need a rational reason for anything he did.

_God, if Bi-Han was here he'd be able to tell me what the hell to do..._

Since Bi-Han had left, it felt like everything in the Lin Kuei was just slowly falling apart. He knew without even discussing it with anyone else that he was not the only one to feel that way. Everyone had a strange air to them, like a storm was about it hit but no one knew when. Everything told them to run for cover, yet the uncertainty and hope that it would settle seemed to keep them all there.

“So are you going to drink that or what?” Kuai lifted his head to watch Tomas hauled himself up onto the counter giving him a look.

“Oh, leave him alone Tomas,” Cyrax chimed in from the other side, sliding into the seat next to Kuai. “He's got every right to mope with a drink.”

Kuai frowned as his eyes flicked between them, “Weren't you two meant to be out on a job tonight?”

“Meant to be,” Tomas said with an over dramatic sigh, “But Sektor has decided that particular client is not worth our time anymore.”

“Or in other words, they did something he didn't like and he threw a fit,” Cyrax replied and Kuai hissed. If Sektor heard the three of them gossiping about him, they'd be in big trouble for it. Wasn't that why no one dared question his authority aloud?

“Wasn't it with one of our biggest clients?” Kuai asked, trying to recall an earlier conversation. Sektor had taken over the Lin Kuei 7 years ago, but over the past few months he'd been slowly burning bridges all over the place. _But turning away one of our biggest clients?_ That was petty, even by Sektor's standards. “Why the hell would he throw that away?”

“Because he's Sektor,” Tomas' deadpanned, reaching across the bar for a bottle of whiskey. “Honestly I'm starting to think Bi-han had the right idea to ditch when he did.” Kuai winced at the mention of his brother's name. Tomas gave him a sympathetic look as he removed the top to the bottle, “Sorry.”

“What about your meeting earlier?” Cyrax asked, an obvious attempt to distract Kuai. It was too little and too late, he had once more begun to ponder where the hell his brother was.

“It was another regular, went about as it normally does until...” Kuai thought back to that car that followed him down the streets. “Do you think Sektor would hire someone to follow me around?”

“I dunno, he's done weirder shit,” Tomas said. When Kuai looked at him, the bottle was almost empty already. _That's... Concerning..._

“Someone was following you?” Cryax sounded troubled by this news.

“I don't know,” Kuai shook his head. “I didn't get a good look at the driver, but someone in a car seemed to be tailing me.” His mind bounced between the person following him and the night Bi-Han left. A lightbulb turned on in his mind, some of the last words his brother said to him suddenly echoing through his thoughts.

“ _... In the next few months, you may be approached by this man.”_

 _How was that not the first possibility that came to my mind?_ Kuai stared at his drink, remembering the photograph he was given, the one he still possessed tucked in the pocket of his vest. _Hanzo Hasashi..._ Over the last month, he'd been repeating that name in his head. He had started to think that he'd somehow managed to slip by the detectives attention. _Could it be he's finally caught up with me?_

_But who is he? And why is he after Bi-Han?_

He finally took his drink, downed it, before pushing himself away from the bar and turning to Cyrax. “Sorry, I'm going to have to love you and leave you, I just remembered something I need to do.”

Cyrax looked at him with suspicion, but thankfully he knew Kuai well enough to know when not to push for an answer. “We will see you later, then.”

Kuai spared a glance at Tomas to find he was already halfway through a second bottle. “Try to not let him get too drunk.”

“I will attempt to keep him under control,” Cyrax replied, sparing a similar glance at the drunk silver haired man.

“Thank you, darling.” Kuai blew a kiss in his direction. Cyrax just gave him a sly smirk, far too used to Kuai's flirting to get flustered by it anymore. Somehow that didn't make it any less fun to do. Kuai looked over at Tomas one last time, “And you, dearest, behave for Cyrax.”

“Fuck you,” Tomas slurred out before giggling to himself and finishing off what remained of the second bottle. It still amazed Kuai how much alcohol the other man could consume in one sitting. And the bastard never got hangovers either, it was infuriating.

“Honey, you _wish_ you could,” Kuai muttered under his breath, before giving one final wave to his companions and stalking off towards the main hall to where the staircase was.

He made his way through the mansion, passing several other Lin Kuei. He had no desire to share words with any of them them but offered a nod of recognition instead. Quickly ascending the stairs, he head off towards the dorm rooms. He wasn't heading for his own however, as he passed it without a second glance, and instead made his way to a room that had sat mostly undisturbed for a month.

As he slipped into Bi-Han's room, he glanced around. He'd searched the room before, hoping to find some sort of clue as to either where Bi-Han had gone or what he was running from, but came up with nothing. He sighed, closing the door behind him as he wandered over to the bed and perched on the edge. Despite his rummaging around, he'd tried his best to keep everything in it's proper place and order, so when Bi-Han finally returned it would be exactly like he left it. Kuai managed to catch a sob before it escaped his lips.

He reached into the pocket of his vest, picking the photo of Hanzo Hasashi out. He had been unable to see the driver following him, so couldn't tell if they had looked anything alike. But the more he thought about it, the more it would make sense. A detective was unlikely to just approach him out of nowhere, they would collect information on him first. Figure out what made him tick and find a way to get him alone so it was more likely he'd talk. Not that Kuai even knew what information the man would want from him, _but I can think of other things my mouth could do for him, if he wanted it._

Kuai's foot pressed into the wooden floor, surprised when he heard a creek. He looked down at the floorboard that made the sound, moving his foot slightly and seeing the way it depressed. _A loose floorboard?_ He hadn't even thought to check the flooring, the rest of the floor in the mansion was in immaculate condition. He slipped the photograph back into his pocket, sliding onto the floor and easing onto his knees. As he pried at the board, he found it lifted easily in his hands. Peering inside, he found a single newspaper, neatly folded.

_That's... a weird thing to hide._

So weird it had to have some sort of meaning.

He grabbed hold of it, rising to his feet while unfolding it. He scanned the front page, the date on it was only a couple of days before Bi-Han left. That alone convinced him it had to have answers. Glancing over the first article he didn't find anything that stood out to him, so he opened to the next page. He started to leaf through every page, flicking quickly to see if he could spot anything that stood out. Midway he spotted something on a previous page that caught his attention, and switched back to it instead.

_“Private Detective Hanzo Hasashi”._

He took a deep breath, _it can't be a coincidence his name is here, right?_ The headline read _“Private Detective reopens murder case of his family”_. Kuai ground his teeth, he suddenly had a bad feeling in his gut about where this could potentially be going.

Reading the article, it spoke in detail about the murders of Harumi and Satoshi Hasashi. It said how the detective had spent 7 years trying to plead with police to continue investigating the cold case, and how when he had finally grown tired of their ineptitude, he'd decided to reopen the case himself. At the bottom of the article, was a phone number to contact should someone have any information that could aid in the investigation.

Kuai could taste bile at the back of this throat. Because if this was why Bi-han was running, it could only mean one thing.

He was a suspect.

 _He wouldn't, would he?_ Kuai admitted that sometimes he looked at his brother with rose tinted glasses. He knew Bi-Han had murdered people before, as had Kuai Liang himself, but those had been different. Those were other gangsters, scum bag criminals just like them who would only be missed by other morally corrupt bastards. This was an innocent wife and child. He could _maybe_ see Bi-Han killing the wife, if given a good enough motive, but a _child_? Even criminals had some sort of moral code. Only the lowest of the low harmed children, and he had always believed himself and his brother were above that. _Especially after what we went through..._

The scar on his face hurt, and he reached up to touch it. Sometimes, he still could feel the blood on his hands as he had attempted to stop the bleeding. He closed his eyes, pushing those memories out of his mind.

_Jesus fucking Christ Bi-Han, what the fuck did you do?_

If Detective Hasashi was now tailing Kuai, it was likely that Bi-Han was his prime suspect. And Kuai hated to admit the fact he had bolted did make him look incredibly guilty. He just didn't want to believe that his brother would be that callous. _What does Detective Hasashi know that makes him think Bi-Han's involved?_

Kuai considered his options. He took note of the phone number, a private detective would have to have an office somewhere, if he could find where it was, maybe he could get more information on what the hell was going on.

_Well, Detective, you aren't the only one who can start an investigation._

* * *

Finding Detective Hasashi's office was easy enough. A quick flick through a list of local businesses and cross checking the phone number from the article had led him straight to the offices location. He had slipped out of the mansion. _Not like my presence will be missed anyway._ He didn't have any prior commitments that night, so it was doubtful anyone would notice he was gone. Even if someone did, he was unimportant to the grand scheme of things that they likely wouldn't care.

And so there he was, stood on the street staring up at the office block. There was only one that had it's lights on and he was willing to bet it was the detectives. Given that it was almost midnight, he had expected the other to be long gone by now. He hadn't come here with the intent of actually facing the man, he'd hoped maybe to break in while he wasn't there. He was stuck, not wanting to risk entering the building if someone else was there, but he really did not wish to leave empty handed either.

His eyes flicked to the ally next to the building, staring at the large dumpster that was likely shared by the entire building. He grimaced, was he _really_ considering going through this guys trash? It seemed unlikely the detective would throw anything important away, but maybe it could give him some sort of insight into the way the man operated.

He made his way into the ally, pulling a box over to step on so he could peer over and get a better look inside. The dim light from a streetlight was not exactly the best for the situation, but he'd work with what he had. Before he did anything else, he reached into the pockets of his suit jacket, pulling out a pair of leather gloves and slipping them on. There was no way in hell he was touching anything in this thing with bare hands.

Protected against anything nasty within the dumpster, at least in his mind, he slowly lifted the lid, letting it rest against the wall. The smell instantly hit him. He held his forearm in front of his mouth as he gagged at the smell of rotting food of different variates. Still he reluctantly reached forward to start pushing aside bits of trash in the hopes of finding something.

He could already see his gloves getting wet from something weeping out of one of the bags. “Oh, god, _gross,_ ” he quietly complained to himself, trying to will himself to keep pushing things out of the way. He repeatedly whispered _“ew”_ to himself, absolutely regretting this decision. _I have to get rid of these gloves, no way in hell am I keeping them after this_. One of the bags split and several mould covered food items fell out, causing him to gag once again. “ _Fucking..._ dealing with dead bodies is no where near as gross as this...”

“Can I help you?”

The voice echoed through the alley, and Kuai's heart caught in his throat. He slowly turned his head to the entrance of the alley, only to be met with the absolute worst thing he could have at that moment. Hanzo Hasashi was stood there, bag of trash in hand. Kuai froze in place, a deer in headlights. As the detective got a better look at his face, he saw the mans eyes widen, and Kuai knew right there and then, he'd been recognised.

“You!” Hanzo's voice came out in a growl, and it was at that point Kuai decided he didn't want to stick around.

He leapt off the box and sprinted further down the alley. Behind him he heard a loud cry of _“Hey!”_ before what sounded like the bag being dropped and another set of footsteps following him along with the words _“get back here!”_

He reached the corner and sped around it only to come to a screeching halt at a large brick wall. _Son of a bitch!_ He should have scouted the area for escape routes before doing anything, but hindsight was a wonderful thing he guessed. Rushing to the wall, he attempted to scale it but found no where for him to grip properly. He looked around, desperate to find something to use as a step up, but there was nothing. Hanzo had rounded the corner, effectively cornering him.

He considered fighting his way out, hand reaching toward the pocket he kept his switchblade in, but the second he caught the glint of silver in Hanzo's hand he knew he was at a disadvantage. Sure, he wasn't weak when it came to a fight, but he wouldn't win against a bullet between his eyes. It was time for plan C; _flirting_. He'd managed to sweet talk his way out of way worse situations than this.

He slipped his gloves off, throwing them off to one side as he raised his hands up in surrender. “Detective Hasashi, I assume?” He gave a pleasant smile, laying on as much charm as he possibly could. “Delightful to meet you at last, a shame it has to be in these circumstances wouldn't you agree?”

Hanzo gave a huff, “So the bastard did tell you about me.”

“Bi-Han mentioned you may seek me out, yes.” Kuai took a step forward, only stopping when he heard the gun cock. “Now Detective, really? Is there any need for such hostility?”

“What were you looking for in my trash?” Hanzo questioned, waving the gun slightly. Kuai disliked guns at the best of times, but even more so when it someone was being so careless with one. He feared Hanzo's finger accidentally slipping on the trigger. _Does this man not know the basics of gun safety? Don't just wave it around like that!_

“I'm merely trying to figure out why you're searching for my brother,” Kuai replied as smoothly as he felt he could manage. He wondered if the detective could hear the slight waver in his voice. That gun was _really_ making him feel uneasy. “He did rather leave in a hurry, and given one of my last conversations with him concerned you, I felt you might have some ideas on his whereabouts.”

Hanzo gave a dark and sarcastic chuckle, “you expect me to believe that?”

“Well, I rather hope you do, because it's the truth.” Kuai chanced another step forward, and when Hanzo didn't react he continued his cautious approach. “I know you've been following me, Detective Hasashi, and I know it's because you think I have information that you need. I could talk and talk, but none of my words would be the ones you wish to hear. Quite frankly, I can think of a lot better uses of our time, and a lot of other ways my mouth can benefit you.”

Hanzo's eyebrow raised, though Kuai wasn't sure if it was because he didn't understand or because he was considering the offer.

He was in front of the detective now, and he chanced bringing down one of his hands to press against his chest. “Ways I'm sure would be far more enjoyable for the both of us.”

Before he could continue something hard and cold hit the side of his face. He stumbled, struggling to keep his balance. He blinked, realising that Hanzo had just pistol-whipped him. He stood up to confront the man, only to be met with a kick to his stomach. Staggering back into the wall, he grasped where he'd been hit, groaning in pain. He felt another kick to his ribs, sending him flying to the floor, and then another, and another. He blindly threw a punch, only to feel a hand grip his wrist and push him to the concrete.

He glared up at Hanzo, who now loomed over him.

“Now detective... If you wanted me underneath you, all you had to do was ask,” he purred. He had no idea if continuing to flirt would in any way sway the situation in his favour, but the way Hanzo's cheeks went a pretty shade of red was _very_ satisfying.

He didn't get long to appreciate it however, as he was abruptly flipped over onto his stomach. His arms were painfully yanked behind his back, and he let out a pained yelp. There was something cold pressed against his wrists, and he realised quickly that he'd been handcuffed. When Hanzo's hands left him, he pulled at the cuffs to test how strong they were. Unfortunately for him, they seemed to be exceptionally high quality. Not the cheap one's he was used to and knew how to slip out of.

He felt Hanzo's weight lift off him, before being grabbed by the shoulders. “Get up,” Hanzo ordered, though not giving Kuai any time to comply before simply dragging him up to his feet. Hanzo's hands had a tight grip on his biceps, as he lent into Kuai's ear and snarled “You and I are going to have a talk.”

And just like that, he was being pushed back down the alley, the grip on him not softening for a second. Kuai did not like his chances of escape. No, it seemed he was going to be spend the rest of the night in Detective Hasashi's company, and not in a way he would have liked.

_This is going to be a long night..._

* * *

His office smelt of cigarette smoke, it was his 20th today and while he knew he should open his window, lest the landlord bitch his ear off again, he had far more pressing matters to attend to.

Such as the young man currently handcuffed to the radiator.

He could only put the capture of Kuai Liang down to sheer luck. When Hanzo had gone to take his trash out, the last thing he'd expected to see was someone rooting through the bins. Even less had he predicted it would be the man he needed it to be. _What the hell did he even hope to gain going through my trash?_ It was a rookie mistake, most people didn't throw away important information, even by accident. He was just thankful he had his gun and handcuffs on him, as well as the ally outside leading to a dead end.

He'd removed the outer layers of the mans clothes, his jacket and vest. All rifling through Kuai's pockets revealed was a photograph of Hanzo himself, a few loose packets of unused condoms and a switchblade. The only thing he could do now was attempt to convince Kuai Liang to talk. A task he got the distinct impression was going to be difficult.

“You sure know how to show a man a good time,” Kuai teased, licking his lips and pulling on the cuff slightly. Hanzo couldn't figure out what he was trying to accomplish by flirting with him. Worse was that regardless of the endgame, it was actually working. _It at least explains how he keeps yapping his way out of danger._ “Although I must admit my arm is getting a little cramped in his position.”

“I'll uncuff you when you tell me what I want to know,” Hanzo muttered, taking a drag of his cigarette. “Where is your brother?”

“I wish I knew,” Kuai gave a dramatic sigh. “Then again if I did, I guess we wouldn't be here right now...”

Hanzo let out a frustrated snort, slipping out of his seat and making his way to where Kuai was sprawled out on the floor. He knelt down, grasping Kuai's chin in his hand and trying to ignore the weirdly excited look in the other man's eyes.

“Let me try that again.” Another drag from his cigarette, exhaling the smoke right into Kuai's face and causing him to cough slightly. “Where is your brother?”

“I already told you, I don't know,” Kuai breathed out between his coughs. “Trust me, if I did, I'd be kicking his ass myself for leaving me in the dumpster fire that is the Lin Kuei right now.”

“I don't trust you, that's the point.” Hanzo pushed Kuai's head back against the radiator, causing a small gasp. The radiator was on, but not hot enough to do any sort of damage. He was already in the bounds of unlawful imprisonment, abduction and aggravated assault, he really didn't need to push his luck by adding torture to that list.

Not that Kuai would ever go to the police, given his own unlawful activities, but that didn't make it any easier for Hanzo's conscience to know he didn't have to quit doing fucked up shit for anyone but himself.

“Why are you even seeking him out?” Kuai questioned, his eyes narrowing slightly. The tone of the question was strange, genuine but with a hint that the other man had some kind of suspicion as to the answer. _Does he really not know?_

“You don't know?” Hanzo asked, wondering briefly if the man was telling the truth about having no knowledge of his brothers whereabouts.

“I have a theory,” the man replied. He didn't divulge on what the theory was however. “But as I said, he left in rather a hurry, didn't tell me where or why he was going.”

Hanzo even if he was on the fence on if Bi-Han had told his brother where he was going or not, he could definitely believe him not giving a reason why. “I suspect he may be responsible for the murder of my wife and son.”

Kuai let out a sigh, eyes casting downward, “My theory was correct then.” If Hanzo didn't know better, he'd say the man sounded disappointed.

The man's blue eyes flicked back to him, and Hanzo could see a new found determination in his eyes.

“Maybe there is a way we can make this work for both of us,” Kuai suggested, attempting to move his head forward but Hanzo managed to keep it in place. “I want to find my brother as much as you do, maybe we can work together.”

Hanzo gave a sarcastic laugh, “Yeah. I bet your boss would fucking love that.”

“Who said he has to know,” Kuai practically purred, “I can keep a secret Detective, can you?”

“You are not doing a particularly good job of convincing me you are trustworthy you know.” Hanzo finally realised Kuai, causing the smaller man to laugh.

“Then tell me, what can I do to earn your trust?” Kuai reached his free hand to lightly pull on Hanzo's tie. Kuai spread his legs, and Hanzo found himself instinctively slotting himself between them. “I can do anything you desire of me.”

Hanzo stubbed his cigarette out on the radiator, and let it fall to the floor. Both hands now free, he found them reaching to the buttons of Kuai's shirt, slowly undoing them one by one. Kuai groaned as Hanzo brushed the fabric away to reveal his chest, revealing bruises that had already started to form from the earlier scuffle. Hanzo pushed down on one, earning a hurt gasp from Kuai. Kuai twisted slightly, trembling and letting his legs fall open just a little wider.

Kuai was completely at his mercy.

His hands trailed down to Kuai's waist, fingers hooking into the other man's trousers and-

_What the fuck am I doing?_

Hanzo jerked away suddenly. What the hell had come over him? He was trying to find justice for his wife and son after their unjustifiable murders, and yet here he was trying to fuck the brother of his main suspect. He looked at Kuai's face, flushed red and clearly looking at Hanzo with want.

“Is this part of your brothers plan?” Hanzo hissed, getting to his feet and stumbling back until he was lent against his desk. “He sent you here to distract and seduce me?”

“I have to say I'm quite offended that you don't seem to think I have the personal autonomy to decide to seduce you for my own reasons.” In his defence, Kuai did seem genuinely hurt by the concept, rather than sarcastically, but it still brought more questions.

“And what reasons would those be?” Hanzo inquired, though not really sure he wanted to actually know the answer.

Kuai looked him up and down, “You're attractive and I want you inside of me.”

Hanzo actually laughed at that. Not a bitter or sarcastic one, a genuine laugh. He finally stopped and shook his head, and rubbed his mouth with his hand. He wasn't going to get anywhere like this, and on the off chance Kuai was really telling the truth about not knowing his brother's location, then he could use someone who was familiar with Bi-Han who may know what actions he would take next.

“Do you know of any locations where your brother may be? Anything he's mentioned lately that might be a lead?” He asked, and Kuai just looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “If you answer, I'll undo the cuff...” He paused as Kuai tilted his head. “And I'll let you assist me in the investigation.”

“And my seduction?” Kuai asked with a smirk.

“If you're a good boy and help me to a satisfactory standard I may be inclined to... _Reward_ you.” He'd never admit aloud that Kuai genuinely got his motor running, but he could pretend to be disinterested and using the promise of sex as a gift for good behaviour.

Kuai looked like he was considering it, biting his lip and looking Hanzo up and down again. He eventually hummed.

“He has lately made mention of a woman named Sareena,” Kuai said, awkwardly reaching to try and do his shirt back up with his one free hand. “I am unfamiliar with who she is, but I believe she has a connection to Club Netherrealm.”

_Oh, of course it had to be there._

“Thank you,” He confirmed, reaching for the keys to the handcuffs. He strode over and unlocked them, grabbing Kuai's arm and hauling him to his feet. Kuai rolled his shoulder a couple of times, before finally buttoning his shirt with ease now. “Anything else?”

“He had an argument with Sektor shortly before he disappeared, but I am unsure what it was regarding.” Kuai rubbed at his wrist and looked like he was thinking. “I believe he also had business with the White Lotus, specifically someone named Raiden Narukami, but again, I do not know what that entailed.”

That was three leads they could look into. As much as he hated to admit it, he really wanted to leave the dealings with Club Netherrealm to last. He'd rather end up face to face with Sektor than that, but he knew if he was going to get to the bottom of this, they may as well start with the lead Kuai seemed to think was important enough to mention first.

“Right. Then the plan is Netherrealm first, then White Lotus and then, if you feel inclined, try to fish for info from Sektor.” Hanzo looked to Kuai who was grinning once again.

“I can do that. You should give orders more often, I quite like it when you're bossy,” He teased and Hanzo rolled his eyes and tried to pretend to not be bothered. Secretly he made a mental note that Kuai seemed to enjoy being ordered around for the inevitable sexual encounter they would have. Not like he'd have any objections to being the one in control. “Lead the way, Detective.”

Hanzo just snorted at that, gathering what he'd need, as well as returning Kuai's jacket and vest to him. He hesitated on returning the blade to him, but decided it would make life easier if Kuai had _some_ way to protect himself. Besides, it seemed Kuai wouldn't act out with a gun pointed in his direction. If Hanzo really needed to, he wouldn't hesitate.

Finally he made his way to the door, Kuai following close behind.

He had a feeling this would eventually bite him in the ass, but for now at least, he would make this work to his advantage.


End file.
